Western Springs resident named managing director at 16th Street

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Eddie Sugarman

Updated: February 21, 2012 8:00PM

Eddie Sugarman of Western Springs was recently named managing director of the 16th Street Theater of the North Berwyn Park District. He will join artistic director Ann Filmer in leading 16th Street into its fifth season and beyond.

“If you asked me to dream up the kind of theater I would like to be a part of, it would be 16th Street,” states Sugarman. “I am beyond excited to join this vibrant organization committed to the playwright and to the stories of the community. Artistic Director Ann Filmer and the North Berwyn Park District have created a cultural gem just outside Chicago and I can’t wait to contribute to its further success and growth.”

Sugarman comes to 16th Street Theater after working in marketing for the Tony Award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. He also worked three seasons as managing director of the Jedlicka Performing Arts Center in Cicero, where he produced 18 plays and musicals. During that time, the company’s overall attendance and box-office revenue increased by over 10 percent a year.

With composer Andrew Gerle, Sugarman wrote the musical, “Meet John Doe,” which enjoyed its world premiere at the Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C., won 2 Helen Hayes Awards and is licensed by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization.

Sugarman had the coolest job on Broadway when he was a stuntman in the original production of the musical “Ragtime.”